


Guide You Back

by Fanfictionwriter117



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, Grieving Rumple, He's broken, His mind's not the same, Mental Instability, Rumple goes missing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-03
Packaged: 2018-03-16 04:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3473801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanfictionwriter117/pseuds/Fanfictionwriter117
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumple suddenly goes missing, leaving Belle worried sick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guide You Back

Rumplestiltskin had been missing for almost two days now.

Ever since his liberation from Zelena and that cage in the cellar, his mind had not been the same. Ever since coming home, he was depressed and confused. Sometimes he barley knew what something as simple as a fork was and it tore Belle apart to see her once sharp witted husband reduced to this broken creature.

"What if something's happened to him? What if he-" She could barley continue, the thought of anything happening to her husband while he was in such a vulnerable state was too much for her to bear.

"They'll find him, Belle." Mary Margret said soothingly, rubbing her back.

Belle didn't know what had happened. She had left the house for just under and hour and when she had returned he was gone. She had locked the doors and the windows so she did not know how he could have got out. She felt horrible for having to keep her own husband locked in his own house but it was for his own protection. Doctor Whale had been called to examine him as soon as he had been brought back to his house, and it was the doctor who had seen the extent of the damage done to the poor man shivering in a pile of blankets before them.

He had been dehydrated and malnourished, his ribs felt through the tattered, soiled remains of his once pristine suit. David and Emma had been the ones to undress him and put him into his large bed while Doctor Whale had spoken with Belle privately outside the room.

"The best thing he needs right now is rest," Doctor Whale told her, Belle nodding in understanding as she looked back at her husband who was trying to sit up despite David's efforts to hold him down, pushing him back against the pillows, urging him to stay down.

"He will be on bed rest for at least a week," the doctor continued over the pained whines of his patient which was becoming even more difficult for Belle to drown out in order to know how to care for him.

"He should be encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, stabilise his diet gradually." Whale advised, writing down notes for Belle to take. "The last thing you want to do is overload his system."

"I understand," Belle replied, focusing on the Doctor. He then handed her a list of medications that he would be prescribing her husband, most of them Belle could barley pronounce. He went through the list stating what they were and what they were for, one of them was for anxiety, two were for depression, another was to help him sleep and there was also one to help with his digestion.

" _No!_ " They both turned in union at the sound of his panicked voice, seeing that David was holding him around the shoulders while Emma was trying to coax him to drink some water. He ducked his head away from her into David's shoulder. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Emma put the glass back on the dresser by his head, irritably brushing hair out of his face.

"Be patient with him," Whale admonished as he approached his patient. It took a short while before Whale had been able to convince him to drink some water, promising that he would feel better afterwards if he did. After a few sips, the weak man soon fell unconscious, David being there to gently lay him down, pulling a thick duvet over him.

"Like I said, the best thing for him right now is rest." Whale reminded, packing away his medical bag. 

"Belle, call me immediately if there are any problems." He said before showing himself out, leaving Belle standing over her unconscious husband. Sitting down beside him, she brushed a stray strand of grey hair out of his face, his face peaceful as he slept.

"Do you need us to stay?" Emma asked, concerned. Shaking her head, she assured them that she could handle it, all she would be doing would be watching over him while he slept. David squeezed Emma's shoulder indicating that it was time to go, they would leave her alone.

"Well," David began "let us know if you need anything."

Belle nodded, "I will."

This was not the same talkative, cheerful, friendly Belle they knew but neither of them could blame her for the way she was right now. Her husband had been missing for a year and even after being found, he was sick and delirious with who knew what other problems and Belle would be the one to deal with them alongside her husband. She needed to look after him, everything else would come later.

And she had thought she had been looking after him. She had got him to eat, talk, sleep and even shower! It had been three weeks into the same structured routine she had created for them both. Doctor Whale had come every 4 days to check up on him but had advised that Belle lock the doors and secure the windows after an incident of her husband hallucinating, believing that something was calling him out the window which led to him attempting, despite his leg, to climb out of his bedroom window. So from now on, the windows and doors were locked.

It had been the advise of Emma herself, that Belle go to the store, for a walk, just so that she was able to get out of the house if only for a few hours. She had been hesitant but had eventually agreed, but only when he had fallen asleep that afternoon after his daily dose of medications and some food.

I'll only be gone for a few hours, she assured herself, pulling the blanket up over her husband's sleeping form.

"I'll be back soon, Rumple." She leaned down, kissing him on the brow, careful not to rouse him.

_That had been almost 2 days ago._

What if something happened to him? Was he alrigh-

The ringing of Mary Margret's phone was what brought her out of her thoughts, she listened intently as Mary Margret answered the phone, watching her face for any expressions she may recognise.

"David, slow down…wait…you found him _where?_ " 

_Found him. He'd been found._

_Where was he? Where did they find him? Where-_

She looked up when Mary Margret hung up the phone, looking at Belle with shock and relief in her eyes. Belle simply waited with baited breath.

"They found him," was all she stated.

"Where?" Belle asked with concern.

Mary Margret bit her bottom lip before answering "Neal's grave."

Belle's eyes automatically began to fill with tears.

_Bae._

The phone beside them vibrated, indicating a new text message. Mary Margret opened it to read.

_Cum 2 graveyard. He's in a bad way._

_David._

Mary Margret slapped the phone closed.

"Let's go,"

They wasted no time in driving to the graveyard. They already knew where his son was buried, when they arrived at the burial plot they found Emma standing nearby while David was kneeling on the ground along with Rumple, trying to coax him to his feet. He was covered in mud, soaking wet and barefoot. The man was on his knees before his son's grave, his hands gripping into the grass and dirt as he wept.

"Gold, come on." David tried again to hoist him up but Rumple just pulled away from him as he wept.

"No!…No!" He sobbed, shoving David's hands away from his shoulder. David closed his eyes, sighing. It was hard work to remain patient but he knew he had to be.

"Gold, you have to go home," David tried to reason. Rumple sniffled, shaking his head. He was refusing to leave the grave.

"I…I..don't w-want to leave h-him," he began, causing them to look at each other in confusion. "I…I can't leave m-my boy again!" He cried.

" _Gold_ …" David tried for the third time.

"He doesn't like…t-to be left alone!" Rumple wailed, falling into the grass before the grave. Unable to take it any longer, Belle came over, taking over David's position.

"Rumple?" She tried to reach him, her hand gently caressing his face. "Sweetheart, it's me. It's Belle." She turned his face towards her, wiping the tears from the glassy eyes.

He swallowed nervously, his dirty hand gently coming to caress her cheek, "Belle?" She nodded, tears in her eyes. "My Belle?" He asked, signs of recognition in his eyes.

"Your Belle," She answered, gently holding his hand to her cheek. He nodded, tears rolling down his cheeks. "B-Belle, tell them t-that Bae doesn't l-liked being l-l-left, tell them!" He was practically pleading with her, begging not to be taken away from his dead son's grave in fear of Bae being afraid of being left on his own.

Like he was still a child, Belle thought with a breaking heart.

"He's delirious, Belle." Mary Margret whispered close to Belle. Mary Margret came around to Rumple's other side, gently stroking his arm. "You're alright," she said soothingly.

"Rumple, my love," She gently stroked his hair "Bae would not want you getting sick, would he?" 

With his bottom lip trembling, Rumple shook his head.

"Then you need to come home," Mary Margret stated as gently as she could. He looked back at the grave and then to Belle the back to his son's grave, a frail hand pointing to the marble headstone.

"I-I never got to say goodbye," he whimpered, another tear falling. Belle hugged her ill husband to her chest, stroking his hair while Emma and the Nolans simply watched as she calmed him. She shushed him as he wept into her shoulder, his shoulders shuddering with sobs. Oblivious to the other two standing there, she just stood there and held him.

His stomach growled suddenly.

"Are you hungry?" She asked in a gentle voice as she continued to gently stroke his long hair. He just nodded.

"Well then, how about a nice dinner? Hmm?" She put on her most reassuring smile. If she was to coax him to come with her then she needed to reassure him that he was alright. He had missed out on two days of his medication doses so she had no idea what was currently going through his head. All that mattered was that she got him home. He nodded again, his head dropping tiredly.

"Come on then," David stepped forward, putting a firm arm around his back as they lead him back to the truck. Once they had him settled, bundled in a spare blanket David kept in the trunk, they began to drive. Belle tried not to notice that he turned his head around, watching Bae's grave until it was fully out of sight. He slumped further into the blanket dejectedly, turning his head away.

When they arrived home, they brought him up to his bedroom, Belle undressing him while David made up the bed. By the time she had changed him into his silk panamas he was almost asleep despite standing up. They lay him down gently. Once he was resting comfortably against the pillows, Belle placed a gentle kiss on his brow.

"We'll take you to see Bae when your better," She promised, Mary Margret sitting by her side. Rumple let out a wheezing cough before settling again. He nodded, the tiniest hint if a smile on his face.

"He…he aways was…such a… good boy." His words trailed off as he finally succumbed to sleep. His breathing eventually evened out, gentle snoring coming from the sleeping man.

Satisfied that he was peacefully asleep, Belle let herself relax, letting out a deep sigh.

"Will you be alright?" David asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.

Belle nodded, "yeah, I-I'll be fine." It had just been a long, stressful two days and now the relief of having her husband found and safely back home was just getting to her. She would go start dinner, something to occupy her mind, feeling her own stomach rumple at the thought of food. She had barley eaten anything due to nerves while David and Emma searched for her husband.

"I'll start dinner," she stated before looking back at Rumple. If she left him alone again would he-

"I'll help," Mary Margaret quipped, getting up to follow Belle.

"You do that," David smiled, "I'll stay with him,"

Belle smiled in gratitude, she knew that David would alert her should anything happen but just looking at the sleeping form of her husband, she could tell that he wouldn't be leaving his bed for a while. 

Certainly not if she had anything to say about it.

**Author's Note:**

> A little idea that came into my head which I just had to write down.


End file.
